Preformed tile and beam floor construction



May 26, 1953 c. L. SANFORD 2,539,607

PREFORMED TILE AND BEAM FLOOR CONSTRUCTION 1 Filed Oct. 5, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 26, 1953 c. L. SANFORD 2,639,607

PREFORMED TILE AND BEAM FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 3, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 26, 1953 PREFORMED TILE AND BEAM FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Charles L. Sanford, Meadville, Pa.

Application October 3, 1949, Serial No. 119,241

Claims.

This invention relates to floors and roofs generally and has relation more particularly to floors and roofs for houses, small factory buildings, dormitories, hospitals, hotels, farm buildings and other medium or small size buildings of the kind.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a floor and roof whose cost of material and total labor cost are exceedingly low and while of the very best and highest quality are within the reach of builders of quite inexpensive structures.

It is an object of the invention to provide a floor and roof surface which in itself is entirely fireproof, Waterproof, and being light in weight is nevertheless durable and requiring little or no repairs in many years.

Another object of the invention is to provide a floor and roof which is sound-resisting and of a character to permit the driving of nails into its upper surface or portion.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide a floor whose under surface constitutes a smooth, horizontal plane for the ready application of metal or wood lath and plaster, plaster board, panel board, metal ceiling and any kind of prepared ceiling materials.

This invention consists of special construction throughout for the purpose of obtaining the greatest amount of strength and service for the amount of materials used and for securely looking the said materials into a durable unit at final assemblage, with ease and dispatch.

The invention will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and in order that it may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in top plan of a floor or roof constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of adjacent units of a floor structure as herein embodied with associated beams in end elevation, the filler between two of the sections being omitted for clarity in disclosure;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view in bottom plan of one of the units as herein comprised, unapplied;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective of one of the beams as herein embodied unapplied; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 11 of Figure 2.

In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings B denotes a beam or rafter of steel or the like of substantial thickness for strength while the lower marginal portion of the beam or rafter B is defined by the oppositely disposed flanges l the upper faces a of which being in an outward and downward incline. The flanges I provide support for the joist or purlin units A as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The upper or top edge face of the beam or rafter B is provided therealong from end to end with a channel 2. The channel 2 as herein disclosed is substantially U-shaped in cross section and of considerable depth. The side walls 3 of the channel 2 at desired points therealong are provided with the notches or recesses 4. The channel 2 is of a material width so as to readily receive the heads 5 of the lag screws 6, the headed end portions of which are received within the recesses or notches l. The lag screws 6 are suitably threaded into the outer top nailing strips 1 of the joist or purlin units A. These strips 1 together with the outer bottom nailing strips 8 are nailed, as at 9, to the joists or purlins in of a unit A.

The strips 1 are seated within the recesses H in the upper edge faces of the joist or purlins ill with the top face of the strips substantially flush with the tops of the joists or purlins while the outer edge face of the strips 1 are substantially flush with the end faces of the joists or purlins ill.

The strips 8 are seated in the recesses 12 in the lower edge portions of the joists or purlins ill at points spaced inwardly from the ends of the joist or purlins. The lower portions of the joist or purlins ID are cut away as at 14, outwardly of the strips 8 to snugly receive the flanges l of the beams B when the unit A is applied and also to allow the outer edges of the flanges l of the beams B to have contact with the outer faces of the strips 8.

The unit A also includes the additional top and bottom nail strips [5 herein shown as positioned substantially midway of the ends of the unit A. As shown in the accompanying drawings the joist or purlins l0 are provided with the recesses l6 each of a depth equal to one-half its thickness. The outer faces of the strips l5 are substantially flush with the adjacent edge faces of the joist or purlins l and said strip are also herein shown as held in place by nails I8.

The strips 1, 8 and I 5 and the edge faces of the joists or purlins permit nailing thereto metal or wood laths or any desired make of ceiling materials in addition to adding supporting strength and rigidity to the joist or purlin unit A. It is to be noted that in the rigid and strong, unit A, not a piece of unneeded material is used.

Disposed over the top of the unit A and nailed or otherwise secured thereto is a reticulated lamination l9 such as a metal lath or the like upon which is produced by tamping or pressure a course or plate 20 of nailable and fireproof concrete. It is of decided advantage to apply the course or plate 20 at the factory instead of at the site of construction as the time for curing will be saved and thereby avoid delays on the job.

End portions 2! of the course or plate 20 extend slightly beyond the outer longitudinal margins of the strips 1 to reduce the spacing between adjacent units and also to leave a suitable space for conduit and wiring.

After adjacent units have been applied a filler 22 of nailable concrete is placed within the spacing just referred to and into the channel 2 of the adjacent beam B. The filler 22 is finished flush with the outer surfaces of the adjacent courses or plates 20 and the portion of th filler within the channel 2 serves to hold the lag screws 6 in position.

While a slight space is formed between the top of the side walls 3 of the channel 2 and the adjacent parts of the plates 20, such space is not of sufiicient size to permit the escape of any appreciable amount of the filler and it readily becomes filled and closed when the filler is applied, due to the fact that the filler material will pile up in and upon the top of the channel portion and quickly close the narrow space in question. This closing action is also brought about by reason of the larger particles of the aggregate making up the filler, lodging in the space and may also be controlled by regulating the water in the mixture so that the mixture will not be iiuid.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the upper or channeled edge face of the beam B is substantially flush with the corresponded faces of the strips 1. The inner edge faces of each pair of strips 1 and 8 are in alignment. This enables tamping cores to be inserted in four rectangular pockets 23 (Figure to prevent the concrete during the production of the course or plate 253 from being forced below the lower sur-' face of the lamination I9 and thus becoming waste material and added weight.

The lag screw 6 may be applied at either the factory or at the job and by threading these screws into the side edge faces of the strips '1, greater holding strength is obtained than by inserting the screws in the ends of the joists or purlins If It is also preferred that sockets for the reception of the screws 6 be bored into the strips F to avoid splitting of the strip.

As is particularly illustrated in Figure 4, the outer or side joists or purlins if! of the units have their outer faces flush and flush with the adjacent lower portions of the side faces of the course or plate 20 so that in assembly the side joists or purlins and the end faces of adjacent units A will have close contact.

The upper portions of the side faces of the courses 01' plates 29 are provided therealong with rabbets 24 and as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings the rabbets of adjacent units A in assembly provide a groove in which is also placed a filler 25 of nailable cement the upper face of which being finished flush with the adjacent faces of the courses or plates 20. The groove provides spacing for wiring before the cement is applied.

After the various joists have been completed by application of the fillers, thin matched flooring, if desired, can be easily and firmly nailed into place. Furthermore, the smooth outer surfaces of the courses or plates ID are most adaptable to cementing linoleum or tile thereto or such surface may be finished by the application thereto of a single coat of plastic material of desired color or other material.

In the production of the unit the outer surface of the course or plate It may be tamped, pressed or rolled to assure a smooth surface or to give to such surface a finish in imitation of shingles, tiles, or otherwise as may be desired.

Mass production of all the strips 1, 8 and I5 can easily be obtained by use of only simple machinery and as the ends of all the joists or purlins are identical, irrespective of thickness, they may be gang-fed into the same shaping machine.

It is to be noted that the heads 5 of the lag screws 6 extend out from the edges of the strips T a definite and uniform distance for proper reception within the channels 2 of the beams B and that the heads 5 are ofa diameter greater than the widths of the notches or recesses 4. This assures secure locking of the units A in assembled relation against lateral or longitudinal movement.

I claim:

1. In a floor or roof structure, spaced beams of inverted T-form in cross-section, each having a relatively deep channel extending along the upper edge of the vertical arm thereof, joist units interposed between and supported on the side flanges of said beams, the side walls of said channel having recesses spaced along the same, headed fastening elements seated horizontally in said recesses with the heads thereof disposed within the channel and their shanks engaged with the adjacent ends of said joist units, said joist units having their top and bottom edges provided with spaced notches, nailing strips seated in said notches flush with the surfaces of the said edges, a reticulated'lamination disposed over the tops of said joist units and said strips and secured thereto, and a plate of nailable cementitious material supported on said lamination.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, with a plate of said cementitious material supported at opposite sides of a beam with the adjacent edges thereof spaced apart to either side of the channel in the beam, and a cementitious filler disposed Within the channel and the space between the adjacent edges of said plates to the level of the top surfaces of the plates.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, with adjacent plates supported in side edge-to-edge abutting relation and having the top edge surfaces thereof rabbeted to provide a groove for the laying of a service line therein, certain of said plates being disposed at opposite sides of a beam with the adjacent end edges thereof spaced apart to either side of the channel in the beam, and a cementitious filler disposed in said groove, said channel and the space between said adjacent end edges, to the level of the top surfaces of the plates.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1, with adjacent plates supported in side edge-to-edge abutting relation and having the top edge sur faces thereof rabbeted to provide a groove for the laying of a service line therein, certain of said joist units being secured in side-to-side abutting relation and having the joints between adjacent of said plates disposed in alignment with the joint between said joist units, whereby each of the joist units supports the edge of the complemental of the overlying plates, and a cementitious filler disposed in said groove to the level of the top surfaces of said plates.

5. In a floor or roof structure, including spaced beams each having a channel extending longitudinally of its top, joist units interposed between and supported by said beams, each of said joist units comprising spaced joists, nailing strips morticed crosswise in the upper and lower sides of said joists at the ends and intermediate the ends thereof, a reticulated lamination overlying said joists and said nailing strips and secured thereto; a plate of a cementitious material overlaying said lamination, and lag screws having their screw threaded shanks extending horizontally outward through recesses formed in the top edges of the side walls of said channels and engaged with the outer side edges of the upper of said nailing strips at the ends of said joists.

CHARLES L. SANFORD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

